Thanks guys

I was without voice for most of last week, Barri, not useful for teaching! I found sipping hot drinks helped most for some reason, but that sucking cough sweets made it worse. If you are one of those that can tolerate aspirin, gargling with the soluble version is very good. If not, good old fashioned warm salt water works well too.
Hope you feel better soon.x

Idon'twanttodomyexam.

I do understand how you feel.

But it'll be over soon, and it'll be alright.

Find some fun stuff to play, and use that to chill out.

And best of luck.

Idon'teither.
We can both not want to do it together - mine is (or is not) next week, when's yours? I have been thinking that no-one can make me do it, and I don't care about the money either.

I bet you'll be fine really.

Good luck to you too, inigo. I'm both of you will be just fine.

Thanks to you both for your replies Mine's the day after tomorrow. Nerves are my biggest problem. I failed my scales last time because of nerves pheewwwww, just need to calm down. We'll probably both get through it ok, good luck inigo

thanks I'm ok with scales I think, it's the pieces I'm worried about. But hey, it's a performance opportunity - and to a discerning expert! Who wants us to do well!!

Very true! I'm trying to make myself excited about the piano in the exam, it's a lovely shiny grand yamaha which is a huge contrast to my plonky clavinova. You're doing gr8 violin, if I remember rightly? I'm in awe, well done for getting to such a high standard!

And jod, thanks for the reassurance you're right, scales are only a small part of the marks. Just frustrating, cos I can usually do them at home, then in the exam room my fingers turn to jelly.

Don't remind me about it... that sounds like last Friday and my grade 8 Piano exam... not helped by the fact that I could hear another piano playing in a different key from scale 3 when I was asked to play c# harmonic minor. It rather put me off my stride for quite a lot of the exam.

Poor Baz .

Hope you get your voice back soon...

Hope you both do well.
A couple of weeks before my last exam when I was feeling something like that may teacher gave me permission to back out. She said it really didn't matter if on the day we just went for coffee instead.
It helped a bit...... Not that there was any way I was going to back out. It was far too expensive for that!

Nine mile queue on M62 coming back from Yorkshire, (jnct 24 to 22)- crawl all the way because of a serious multivehicle pile up near the 'top' junction at Rishworth Moor. Yes youve guessed, the accident was on the other side, and in no way affected the westbound traffic !

Then would you believe as we crawled along I looked in my rearview mirror and the guy in the Seat Alhambra behind was practising the mouthorgan. He was using two hands ! Occasionally had to let go with one hand to adjust his line with the steering wheel. I would have been less than impressed if he had run into the back of me. Irresponsible prat.

Thanks C

And good luck to all the exam takers

I am really hacked off! For the last week there has been bonfire smoke surrounding my garden. I come home tonight after being away for two days and it has just started in the last half hour. The smoke is coming in the house eventhough the windows and doors are shut - no chance of having a nice drink in the 20 degree heat of the garden then! I can't work out whose it is because of the positioning of the house so I can't complain to the council. I HATE SELFISH PEOPLE!!! and it's hurting my throat.

Unbelievable, my clothes now smell of smoke and I haven't even been outside!!!

Tiny aargh, more like a squeak.

I miss my piano.

only just seen this, hope you're resting the little bit of voice that you have got Barry

It is a very little bit , but yes, I'm resting it Thanks for the hug, Louise

A bit of voice has come back today...still needs resting though...

I can smell a small that isn't there, i.e. it is in my nose (or more likely my brain).
I'm also starving hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry.

Suspect I have a migraine incoming (which is weird as I woke up with a headache, perhaps I have the aura after the headache this time ). I didn't drink enough yesterday I think (dehydration doesn't always lead to a migraine; but my migraines are often following a day or two of not drinking properly!)

Just never had phantom smells before Quite quite weird.
(Yes, I will go to my doctor if it continues, or doesn't turn in to a migraine; I know non-existant smells can be a sign of Bad Things).

It could well be a migraine. I smell funny smells when I am heading into one - along with the aura (don't necessarily get that every time) and deathly tiredness.
Hope you feel better soon.

I'm having a bad week too. I've never screamed on the scream thread before... but...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

Too much to do and some craziness going on and NOW the thing that finally tipped me over the edge was the cat. He is crazy but poor thing has just had an itchy ear. He tried to scratch the ear and got his back foot stuck inside his ear and then started rolling around the floor howling trying to get his foot out. He wouldn't let me help at first. Eventually I got the foot out of the ear but his ear is bleeding where he scratched himself with his claws. Now he is looking very very sorry for himself.

I'm so sorry, I shouldn't laugh but the image of a cat rolling around the floor with his foot stuck in his ear was so funny I couldn't help it.!! Hope he's okay now

......as you do......

Why is letting a house so much hassle? Everything is all rushrushrush and if you aren't there with a pen-in-hand waiting to sign a contract, and can't drop everything to go to a viewing tomorrow, its impossible to get anything done. It doesn't help that I'm also trying to be moderately picky about which agency I go with (i.e. one with 101 bad reviews on the internet), in the hope this might reduce hassle when the washing machine breaks/ the hot water vanishes / similar...

Think I'm just going to have to find a hotel room for a week and do nothing but view properties. Trouble is, I am expected to be at other places at different times over the next two weeks so I can't!!

I suppose this is the feline equivalent of getting a toe stuck in the bath tap !

I am sooo sorry Organistin, but this just made me laugh I'm not laughing about the bleeding ear though, hope kitty gets better soon.

His ear has stopped bleeding. I must admit since I got over the stress of it I have been laughing about it too. It was ridiculous. Only he could manage to do something as daft as that!
Problem is he is now being really dramatic about the whole incident and is lying on a blanket on the balcony, from time to time letting out a variety of wails to remind me that he got his foot stuck in his ear and that he is traumatised by it.

Oh dear, I'm so sorry, but I'm laughing too... and I'm a cat owner myself.

Hope he's OK.

Sorry, it made me laugh too! it did conjure up a wonderful picture. I do hope he's ok though!

Glad it's slowly improving take care

I shall

Get better soon Barry.

Oh dear.

Feeling very low - for a combination of reasons.

I think I'll go to bed and try to shut them all out...

Hope you feel better tomorrow Cyrilla.

Hope one of the reasons wasn't me not being able to come to the cave yesterday...

Aww, no, Baz, of course not...just lots of different things crowding in on me at the mo.

Thanks for the hugs guys.

One from me!

Don't burn the candle at both ends Cyrilla and take care.

Hope you're suitably chilling at choir! PM me if dates for 2011/12 have been announced.

Thanks stetenorve and jod . It's not just overwork at the moment but overworry..

Dates not fixed yet, Baz, but will let you know (and post them on the Events thread) as soon as I know them.

Aaaaaaagh, set off at 6.15 ths morning to drive yet again to Yorks, got down M53 to about Ellesmere Port and realised my laptop was still in the hall. Cost me half an hour, and much busier traffic second time round.
Still made it to Horsforth office by 8.30 though.

I know it was fairly inevitable, but I really didn't want to put nasty scuffy scratches onto my new car... *sniffle*

Time to go and buy some polish, and see if they come out. Otherwise, I'm really not looking forward to having to take it to the garage. I haven't even managed 500 miles in it yet.

Ouch. Bad luck.

Don't worry. I put a brand new Subaru Impreza in a ditch when I had had it for lest than six weeks

Oh dear

I hope you haven't hurt yourself.

Oh not in the least (except for my pride maybe?). I was trying to get it onto my drive, something which has been causing me no end of trouble since the first time I tried. Hadn't managed to scrape past the gate post yet, although I did stop about 1 cm from (the neighbours!!) fence on one occasion. Nearly took the flimsy thing out altogether.

Unfortunately, the gate post is rusty old iron, and has done of nasty scrapies to the paintwork, which do look better after being polished. Unfortunately polish can't put back black paint which is gone altogether. Fortunately none of the scrapes are down to the metal, but they're definitely well into the white undercoat-like stuff, so I think I'd better take it to the garage and see about getting them dealt with properly.

*sigh*

Have you tried backing in? It's easier to be accurate as the steering is at the front and you have your wing mirrors to check both sides. (Unless you knocked them off on the gatepost on yout last attempt!)

Tamsin I am so sorry. 20/20 hindsight is such an easy thing to have. I do hope your garage bill isn't to expensive.

I often wonder am I the only person who will admit to having normal kids who answer back and are not always perfect! Still they are not boring and I know where I stand with them.